Category Archives: New York Rangers

Yup, you read that right. I, daftpuck, lover of all things hockey and to a lesser extent, Canadian, have officially moved past the Winter Classic and would like to see the NHL scrap the idea for a least a season or two. The Winter Classic does a lot of things right and the NHL and Gary Bettman should be commended for all the work they’ve done to promote the game and reach a new audience. Unfortunately, everything that is good about the Winter Classic ends once the puck drops. Yes, the game puts the league back in the spotlight, with HBO’s 24/7 (which is amazing and there is no reason that that show cannot continue using some other gimmick as it’s central conflict) allowing fans to see their teams like never before and NBC’s complete overhaul of the Versus network that took place on the day of the Winter Classic. All the hype is fantastic, and you will surely read a few articles today proclaiming success for the NHL, in terms of ratings and advertisers and shares and what have yous. What you won’t read is that the game was fucking boring.

Before we get down to the nitty gritty, I probably owe you guys some sort of apology. I sort of went AWOL after entry four in my “So You’ve Decided to Buy a New Jersey” and found myself lacking the creative drive to keep blogging. It didn’t help that baseball is probably more boring than deciding which kind of milk to buy, and Papa Bear has a strict “No Soccer Posts” rule. So for a month I found myself wandering around the internet aimlessly, lost in it’s sea of cat videos and nipple slips. But like a Phoenix, all I needed was a little fire to kick start this engine. Papa Bear figured out how to use his twitter (effectively), Captain Dan started texting me all of Jaromir Jagr’s recent moves that I fear he may actually be stalking the Czech Native, and TimmyP and myself started battling in NHL12 (one word review: fuckingawesome) that I found myself wanting to get back on that horse and start blogging. Oh and Papa Bear sent me a text that if I don’t write anything soon he’s going to kick me off the payroll (McDonalds coupons.) And hockey’s back guys. HOCKEY!

Team previews, playoff predictions, and players to watch, after the jump.

"Which makes me look like more of a douche, the jersey or the glasses?"

August is by far the worst month to be a hockey fan. (Unless you’re an Islanders fan, where every month sucks.) Free agency has pretty much died down and most of the signings are either arbitration hearings or bargain pick ups. We still have a little over a month before most training camps open and the preseason starts in mid-September. So for a hockey story to break the news, or even appear on the Monolith, it’s going to have to be something eye-catching. And nothing screams “eye-catching” more than a story with Sean Avery and a police altercation.

Rangers forward Sean Avery was arrested in Los Angeles around 1 a.m. on Friday on a misdemeanor charge of battery on a police officer, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The Los Angeles Times said Avery, 31, argued with the police officers before pushing one and slamming the door. Following the confrontation, additional officers were called to the home and Avery was taken into custody, the newspaper reported. TMZ said Avery was held overnight, with bail set at $20,000. (via)

While it may comes as a surprise to some, Sean Avery is not that much of a wild soul. Most of the shit he gets hate for is the nauseating way he acts on the ice (and in the locker room.) For the most part, off the ice Avery is sort of an upstanding citizen in the NHL world. He isn’t out drinking and punching cabbies (Patrick Kane). He isn’t telling a live television audience that even though he’s 19 he was drunk on vodka last night (Matt Duchene). He isn’t assaulting his ex-wife and tarnishing the name of my own personal Goddess, Michelle Beadle (Matt Barnaby). Fun fact, I love all three of those players.

No Sean Avery is not that bad of a guy sans ice, just doing normal hockey player stuff, like interning at Vogue. Hell he came out a few months ago and down right supported homosexuals in hockey. If hockey can say “hey you’re gay but it’s cool” they can open themselves up to a whole new market, and can become the model sports league for the next few decades. If you don’t think that’s a big deal, you’re name is probably Kobe Bryant.